October 24, 2014

Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

Global Day of Jewish Learning

October 24, 2014 30 Tishrei 5775 Vol. 95 | No. 6

This Week

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Program Coordinator, Center for Jewish Life It will be 400 communities in 40 countries learning together on a single day. On Sunday, Nov. 16, Jews around the world will learn during the Global Day of Jewish Learning. This event brings the Jewish people together once a year to celebrate shared Jewish text through community-based learning.

The guiding values of the Global Day of Jewish Learning are fostering Jewish unity, empowering individuals through increased Jewish knowledge, and creating meaningful shared experiences. The day was conceived to further the call of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz , teacher, philosopher, social critic and prolific author to “Let my people know.” This day, which is specially set aside for Jewish learning, is a project spearheaded by

PJ Library pajama havdalah features Mama Doni Page 2

Annual Campaign kicks-off Pages 6 & 7

Inside Next Month Business Guide See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

hearts. Mama Doni celebrates Jewish culture with irrepressible zest in its high-energy, interactive family rock concerts and acoustic Shabbat experiences filled with a contagious and unexpected blend of reggae, rock, disco, Latin and klezmer – all woven together with soulful energy and a super hip Jewish sensibility.

Dr. Leonard Greenspoon, Klutznick Chair and Professor of Classical & Near Eastern Studies at Creighton University, is chairing the event. Bonnie Bloch, Steve Riekes and Marty Shukert, as members of the Klutznick Governance Council, are also involved in the planning.

“This will be a great afternoon of learning with a bit of fun,” commented Dr. Greenspoon. “We wanted to mix things up a bit and struck upon the idea of offering mini-workshops in addition to the more traditional presentations. Having the high energy of Mama Doni will kick-off the day.” He then added “‘Heroes, Villains, Saints and Fools: The People in the Book’ is a marvelous theme and there will be a wide variety of options exploring this topic. Global Day is an excellent way for anyone, regardless of background Continued on page 3

Beth El hosts BBYO Rabbi Steven Wernick in the Community

Rabbi’s coming-out highlights shift in Conservative Judaism Page 12

Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

the Aleph Society with organizers around the globe.

Omaha’s celebration of Global Day will take place Nov. 16 from 1-5 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, focusing on this year’s theme of “Heroes,

Villains, Saints and Fools: The People in the Book.” Presentations and workshops will take place during the afternoon, exploring the theme in a variety of ways.

In a new twist, the keynote presentation will feature the musical talents of the Mama Doni Band as Doni Zasloff and Eric Lindberg present “Judaism and the American Songbook.”

Doni Zasloff and Eric Lindberg will explore the connection between some of America’s most beloved songs and the Jewish tradition. This interactive musical experience will take you from the mid 1800s to the present with timeless songs that have as much relevance in Judaism as they do in United States history. Attendees will be encouraged to sing along with Doni and Eric, learning how to incorporate these songs into their

8 10 11

by MARGIE GUTNIK Beth El Synagogue Program Director Beth El Synagogue is pleased to welcome Rabbi Steven C. Wernick as a Scholar-in-Residence the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 1. The focus of the weekend will be “The Next Great Paradigm Shift: Intentional Communities of Meaning and Purpose.”

Rabbi Steven Abraham said, “I am thrilled to welcome Rabbi Wernick to Beth El Synagogue in Omaha. I’m excited for him to see the amazing work we are doing and for him to share his vision of the future with our congregation.”

Wernick will speak at a Congregational Shabbat Dinner on Friday night and deliver the D’var Torah during services on Saturday. Services will be followed by a Kiddush Lunch.

Rabbi Wernick serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice-President of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. In 2010 he was named one of Newsweek’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis in America and was on The Jewish Daily Forward’s List of 50

Rabbi Steven Wernick Influential Jewish Leaders.

Rabbi Wernick spearheaded a progressive and forward-thinking strategic plan to transform United Synagogue to meet the needs of twenty-first century Conservative synagogues. He shepherded the successful launch of several new programs for USCJ including a new Sulam for Emerging Leaders, focused on strengthening and transforming kehillot (synagogues) by training their future leaders. He has also built successful partnerships with USCJ with the Alban Institute and PJ Library as he continues to develop and to change the leadership, membership, participation and governance paradigms for the United Synagogue.

The son of a rabbi and a Jewish educator, Rabbi Wernick was actively involved in USY and Camp Ramah.

Continued on page 2

BBYO at Community Event: Isaac Rogers, left, Ammy Wertheim, Jessica Shandell, Max Polack.

by RACHEL MARTIN having 26 representatives at the ComBBYO/Teen Director munity Event on Tuesday, Oct. 7. We If you have been out and about in attended a Council dinner prior to the community recently, chances the Community Event. The teens are you have seen some of Omaha’s were eager to hear from Jerry Greenfinest BBYO teens. field, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s On Sunday, Oct. 5, several teens Homemade Inc., but the ice cream teamed up with B’nai B’rith volun- handout wasn’t a bad incentive either. teers to cover the four sukkahs put On another sweet note, BBYO up around the Jewish Federation of teens attended the 4th Annual Omaha Campus. The sun was shin- Great Omaha Chocolate Festival, ing as teens made multiple trips hosted by the National Council of hauling tree branches to each Jewish Women on Sunday, Oct. 12. sukkah and then covered the At the end of the Festival, the teens sukkah roofs with the branches. All helped vendors load up their banvolunteers who helped with the ners, chocolate goodies, and other sukkah building enjoyed a much- heavy materials to take home. In redeserved pizza lunch in the JCC turn, many of the vendors offered canteen after all of their hard work. the teen volunteers as much chocoBBYO made its presence known by late as they could eat!

2 | The Jewish Press | October 24, 2014

PJ Library pajama havdalah features Mama Doni

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life It will be a rockin’ good time when the Center for Jewish Life hosts a PJ Library Pajama Havdalah on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 7-8 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium featuring the one and only, Mama Doni.

Known and loved by PJ Library families for her delightful music CDs, a description in the New York Times said: “Her stage name may sound as if it belonged on a jar of pasta sauce, but Mama Doni is an indisputably Jewish performer. Doni Zasloff Thomas in real life, she specializes in putting a Jewish spin on all kinds of musical styles, including reggae, rock, disco and Latin.” She is guaranteed to energize an audience with her spirited songs that express the joy of being Jewish that embraces life itself. We are excited to bring her to Omaha.

The evening of fun is open to all Omaha Jewish families with children six months to eight years of age. Older siblings and grandmas and grandpas are also welcome. In true PJ Library style, kids are encouraged to wear their pajamas and enjoy celebrating the night with the entertainment of Mama Doni. There will also be a special reading of a PJ Library book along with yummy, healthy snacks. The entire evening is free of charge thanks to the funding provided from the Special Donor-Advised Fund, the Esther K. Newman Memorial Fund and the Sokolof Javitch Music Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

When Doni’s preschool asked her to take a position as music teacher in 2007, the creative juices started flowing and she began writing and recording her own songs that shared her love of Jewish culture with kids in a fun, cool way. Soon Mama Doni Productions was born. Her first album, I Love Herring (& Other Fish Shticks for Kids),

Mama Doni was released to immediate acclaim in May, 2008. She has appeared on the major televi-

sion networks, on over 1,000,000 matzo boxes over the past two years, been a spokesperson and host on SHALOM TV, and has just released a new book called, Get Cooking! A Jewish American Family Cookbook & Rockin’ Mama Doni Celebration. The Mama Doni Band was honored with a 2011 Parents Choice® Award for their CD, Shabbat Shaboom, and winner of the Simcha Award for “Inspiring Joy Through Music” in competition with more than 100 bands from 15 different countries at the International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam.

This fun evening is a unique way of celebrating participation in the PJ Library program and to invite those families with children ages six months through eight years to join. PJ Library provides free, high quality Jewish books and music mailed directly to the family’s home each month. Families also receive a monthly enewsletter that includes suggestions for family activities focused on Jewish observances and seasonal activities. The PJ Library is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation with local funding provided by the Dorothy and Myer S. Kripke Institute for Jewish Family Literacy.

Call 402.334.6463 for more information or visit the PJ Library page found in the Center for Jewish Life section at

www.jewishomaha.org.

Registrations for the Pajama Havdalah event are appreciated by calling Mark at 402.334.6463 or emailing mkirch hoff@jewishomaha.org. PJ Library is a program promoted by the Center for Jewish Life whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.

Rabbi Steven Wernick Continued from page 1 He was born in Philadelphia and raised in a variety of cities across North America including Oakland, California, and Winnipeg, and Manitoba in central Canada.

He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, University of Judaism and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. After ordination he served as the Associate Rabbi of Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, NJ, and more recently as the senior rabbi at Adath Israel in suburban Philadelphia. He also served as the president of Mid Atlantic Regional Rabbinical Assembly. As rabbi of Adath Israel, Rabbi Wernick took a synagogue that had been withering, and through his vision and energy turned it into one of that region’s most vibrant.

For information and to make reservations for the Shabbat dinner, visit www.bethel-omaha.org or call the office at 402.492.8550. Free babysitting will be provided during Rabbi Wernick’s talk by request.

50th Anniversary of The Legacy of Vatican II • Year Three Dei Verbum and its Descendants Saturday, November 2 | 3 – 5 p.m.

Dr. Amy-Jill Levine and Dr. John Clabeaux “The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Bible” Mike and Josie Harper Center, Ahmanson Ballroom | 602 North 20th Street Creighton University Campus

Amy-Jill Levine

John Clabeaux

University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School and College of Arts and Science. A self-described Yankee Jewish feminist, Professor Levine is a member of Congregation Sherith Israel, an Orthodox Synagogue in Nashville, TN, although she is often quite unorthodox. Dr. Levine is an active member of the Catholic Biblical Association and the former New Testament Book Review editor of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly.

Professor of Sacred Scripture at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary.

Over the years he taught courses on the New Testament and also the Hebrew Bible. His current area of research involves the relationship between Judaism and Christianity particularly in the New Testament and Early Patristic periods. Clabeaux chairs a long-term study group in the Catholic Biblical Association on Jewish and Christian relations.

For more inforation contact Carol Krajicek at vaticanii@creighton.edu or 402.280.3056 creighton.edu/vaticanii

Cosponsored by Barbara Reardon Heaney Endowed Chair in Pastoral Liturgical Theology, the Anna and Donald Waite Endowed Chair in Jesuit Education, Graff Chair in Catholic Theology and others.

October 24, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 3

Yes, Miss Commander to screen

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life Sunday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. in the JCC Theater, the Center for Jewish Life will present the film, Yes, Miss Commander. This documentary, in Hebrew with English subtitles, was released in 2009 in Israel and runs 96 minutes. Following the film there will be

balance of their success at Harvat HaShomer.

And in what might appear to be an unlikely scenario, it is young female soldiers who are given the daunting task of directing the rehabilitation and training of these often incorrigible young men. With great patience these young women juggle authoritative distance and emotional involvement in order to fulfill

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Raz Revah with soldiers at Havat HaShomer. a discussion led by Omaha Community Shaliach Eliad Eliyahu and Raz Revah, the Community Shlicha from South Bend, Indiana. This event is open to the community free of charge thanks to funding provided from the Gertrude T. and Albert B. Newman Endowment Fund and the Ann Woskoff Schulman Memorial Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

For 100 days, a film crew recorded unusual, emotion-packed scenes on the military base Havat HaShomer. This is the base where Raz served as commander during her tour of duty with the IDF. Her first-hand experiences will add a special dimension to the post-film discussion.

Twenty-two year old Raz lives in Omer, a small town just outside Beer-Sheva. As an active participant in the Israeli Scouts youth movement culminating in responsibilities as an apprentice and guidance instructor, it was as if her early life was preparing her for what was to come. At 18 she joined the army to serve in the Education Corps as a team commander at Havat HaShomer – an assignment calling for special strength, intelligence and problem-solving skills.

Havat HaShomer serves a vital role for a segment of the Israeli population.

An integral part of attaining social acceptance in Israel depends on one’s military service. But soldiers on this base are not ordinary recruits. These soldiers come from backgrounds of violence, abuse, crime and drugs.

Since troubled youth are not drafted into the army, they are otherwise prevented from overcoming the past and integrating successfully into mainstream society. The special training program at Havat HaShomer is designed to address this situation “head on.”

With the goal of developing discipline and military skills and improving their selfimage, the fate of these recruits hangs in the

their mission. The film presents the natural drama of a clash between two worlds and the tension between the sexes. In such an environment there are constant collisions, heated verbal exchanges and emotional outbreaks.

There are also touching moments in which commanders and recruits truly meet for the first time.

The program at Havat HaShomer is heralded throughout Israel as indicative of the commitment the country makes to all members of society. “It’s not just a military mission; it’s a national social mission,” explained Lt. Anaelle Heymann, a 21-yearold platoon commander at Havat HaShomer. “We want him [the recruit] to be a productive citizen, not a burden on society, and to have a regular, normal family and a good life.” Those who have viewed Yes, Miss Commander are generally interested in knowing why these tough young men are assigned to female commanders. Colonel Alaa [last name withheld] says that over the 30 years the program has been conducted, different things have been tried, but female commanders work best. “Women are much more sensitive and have much better communication skills,” he explained. “They come with energy, with special spirit and values and with a lot of ideology.”

Be sure to mark your calendar for Sunday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. to witness the challenges and outcomes of this program and to hear from a commander who was a part of it. Yes, Miss Commander is presented as by the Center for Jewish Life as a part of the Community Shaliach program. The agency’s mission is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. Contact Mark at 402.334.6463 or mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org for more information.

Global Day of Jewish Learning Continued from page 1 or Jewish knowledge, to engage in Jewish learning.”

Omaha’s Global Day event is sponsored by funding of the Klutznick Chair of Jewish Civilization at Creighton University and the Sokolof Javitch Music Fund. Executive Director for the Center for Jewish Life Beth Cohen commented “It is always gratifying to work with Dr. Greenspoon in organizing this day for Omaha. The Klutznick Chair at Creighton University has much historical and ongoing importance to the Jewish community.” She also added “Having the musical element to the day will be a real treat and

we are most appreciative of the Sokolof Javitch Music Fund for their support.”

Watch for an article in two weeks with details on the sessions, presentors and topics. The Jewish Day of Global Learning is open to the community, free of charge.

Reservations are not required. The Global Day of Jewish Learning is presented through the Center for Jewish life whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. Questions about the event may be directed to Mark Kirchhoff at 402.334.6463 or mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org.

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4 | The Jewish Press | October 24, 2014

Jewish scriptures in the Catholic Church

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by DR. LEONARD J. GREENSPOON Kutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization With one and a quarter billion members, Roman Catholicism is the largest religious denomination worldwide. More than 250,000 of these Catholics live in Omaha.

Like other religions, Catholic beliefs and practices evolve over time. On Nov. 2, Omaha’s Jewish community is invited, along with others, to hear what Catholics are teaching and learning about “The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Catholic Church.”

This event takes place from 3–5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2, in the Ahmanson Ballroom at Creighton’s Harper Center. A notable feature of this presentation Dr. Amy-Jill Levine is the participation by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, a well-known and widely respected Jewish scholar. Levine, who is a Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University, is the author or coauthor of several of the most important recent works on the New Testament and on the interaction between Jews and Christians throughout their often contentious history.

Levine’s most recent book in this vein is Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi, which was published earlier this year. She is probably best known to the general public through her ground-breaking book of 2007, The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, and The Jewish Annotated New Testament, which she co-edited with Marc Brettler in 2011.

In addition to her fame as a prolific writer of scholarly and popular works, Levine travels and speaks widely to a variety of groups on topics related to the Bible and Jewish-Christian relations. Her presentations to Christian groups have been especially effective in breaking down stereotypes and fostering strong interreligious dialogue based on mutual understanding and respect. For these and other accomplishments, she has received honorary degrees from the University of Richmond, the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the

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Here’s what one Nebraska newspaper had to say ...

OPINION:

Don’t get caught up in Party politics when it comes time to vote this year

Nebraskans will have a choice for Governor this November between Democrat Chuck Hassebrook and Republican Pete Ricketts.

Our biggest fear this election year is that people will vote for the Party and not the man.

For anyone living in rural Nebraska, we feel the choice really should be an easy one to make.

On one hand, we have Pete Ricketts, the Omaha businessman who made his millions by becoming an executive in his father’s business, working his way up the ladder in the company, which has become one of the largest internet

stock trading companies in the United States.

On the other hand, we have Chuck Hassebrook, a man who has spent most of his life working to help farmers and rural Nebraskans.

He’s done this both in his role as the former executive director of the Center for Rural Affairs and as an 18-year member of the Nebraska Board of Regents.

Hassebrook has shown time and again he cares about the people of this state and he wants to help make life better for them.

We haven’t seen that out of Ricketts.

We did, however, see

a very disturbing trend during the Primary election — plenty of big outof-state Political Action Committee money getting involved in our statewide election.

Ricketts will have to go a long way in our book to prove he has just much knowledge of agriculture and just as much desire to see rural Nebraska succeed as Hassebrook does.

If the political labels were reversed, we’re quite convinced Hassebrook would win the rural vote quite convincingly.

We understand that being a Democrat in an extremely Republican state comes with a pretty hefty

price tag.

We need to remember though folks, this Democrat is running for Governor, not for Congress. In all of our years covering government, we’ve never seen a Governor that acted as a ‘yes’ man to Congress or any President. We doubt that would happen with Hassebrook, either.

So please, dear readers, we urge you: Don’t let party politics get in the way of making your decisions this November.

Rural Nebraskans need a strong voice to represent them in Lincoln, not someone dabbling in politics or simply looking for a career change.

... and we couldn’t agree more!

Vote for Chuck Hassebrook for Governor on Nov. 4 Gov Paid for by Chuck Hassebrook for Governor, 9616 M St., Omaha, NE 68127.

Editorial published June 18, 2014 in the Hartington Cedar Co. News and reproduced here with permission.

by SCOTT LITTKY Program Director, Temple Israel In the cycle of our reading of the Torah, we will be introduced next week to Abraham. Many of the events in the life of Abraham and his family helped to form the cycle of our Jewish circle of life. We are taught that as Abraham sat in front of his tent one day, he observed three strangers in the distance. He next ran to greet them and invited them to rest and have a meal with him. From this we learn the value of – Hachnasat Orchim – the welcoming of strangers. Further, the three strangers came to visit Abraham right after he had had his Brit Milah; and from this, we are taught the Jewish value of visiting the ill – Bikkur Cholim.

At Temple Israel we take the Mitzvot of Hachnasat Orchim and Bikkur Cholim very seriously. First, under our Membership Outreach Committee, led by Jill Idelman, we do our best to welcome new members into our congregation. Upon approval of a family’s membership, Jill calls that new member family and delivers a welcome bag containing Shabbat candles and a Challah so that they can bring Shabbat to their home. Also, beginning in November, as a result of a generous donation from a member of Temple, we will invite our new families from the past month to attend our next First Friday Shabbat Dinner as our guests.

Our Caring Committee, led by Amy Rabinovitz, is beginning to focus on what new goals they need to reach as a committee. Currently the committee helps to arrange weekly visits to the Blumkin Home on Friday afternoons, delivery of Honey Cakes to our members who are over 80 years old at Rosh Hashanah, and arranging for meals for members in need. At our next meeting in November, we will be setting our new vision and looking to see in what areas we need to grow so that we can fulfill the mitzvot of Bikkur Cholim and Hachnasat Orchim.

For more information on our Membership Outreach Committee, Caring Committee or other committees at Temple Israel, please contact – Program Director, Scott Littky.

Southwest, the University of South Carolina-Upstate, Drury University, and Christian Theological Seminary.

Levine first appeared in Omaha in 1998, along with three other Jewish scholars of early Christianity, in a conference at Creighton sponsored by Brian Le Beau, then chair of the Center for Religion and Society; Father Dennis Hamm, S.J., who retired last spring from the University’s Department of Theology; and Leonard Greenspoon, holder of Creighton’s Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization. Since then, she has been to Omaha and to Nebraska on several other occasions.

On Nov. 2, Dr. Levine will share the stage with John Clabeaux, an eminent Catholic theologian who currently serves as Professor of Sacred Scripture at Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary.

Levine and Clabeaux will address this question: What is the Catholic Church saying these days about the proper understanding of the Jewish people and the Hebrew Scriptures in the Christian Bible? Most in the Jewish community know of the breakthrough in Jewish-Christian relations made in the 1965 document of Vatican Council II, Nostra Aetate: Declaration on the Church in Relation to Non-Christian Religions, which condemned “the teaching of contempt” regarding Jews and initiated the ongoing process of Jewish-Christian dialogue.

Less familiar are subsequent church documents of the Pontifical Biblical Commission that have advanced the Catholic side of this dialogue since Vatican II. Especially notable among these is a 2002 document called The Jewish People and their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible. This monograph spells out the current Catholic understanding regarding how “the sacred Scriptures of the Jewish people are a fundamental part of the Christian Bible,” how the New Testament writings acknowledge that the Jews have permanent value as divine revelation, how key themes link both Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and how the New Testament itself treats Jews and Judaism.

The Nov. 2 event is part of Creighton’s four-year 50th anniversary commemoration of the Legacy of Vatican II. Another event in this series, scheduled for spring 2015, will deal specifically with Nostra Aetate. Details of that event will be announced in early 2015.

For more information on these activities, contact Carol Krajicek at 402.280.3056 or check out the website at Creighton.edu/vaticanii.

Maccabi 2015

by RACHEL MARTIN BBYO/Teen Director Team Omaha is excited to announce that we will be participating in the 2015 Maccabi Games from Aug. 2-7.

Come be a part of our team! Parents and athletes are invited to attend an informational meeting on Nov. 13 from 7–8 p.m. in the JCC Youth Lounge. The Maccabi Games are for Jewish teens ages 13-16 who would like to participate in exciting athletic competitions, Jewish programming, community service, and much more! The JCC Maccabi Games is a week-long international, multisport, athletic and cultural event involving thousands of Jewish teens. Each year, athletes share in the FUN of competing, the JOY of meeting other teens, and the PRIDE of being part of a world-famous Olympic style event filled with Jewish content and values. It is a life and personality shaping experience that the JCC Maccabi Games have been offering to Jewish teens since 1982.

Watch your mailboxes for more information regarding Maccabi 2015 registration.

For more information, contact Rachel Martin, BBYO/ Teen Director at 402.334.6404 or rmartin@jccomaha.org.

Births Sarah and David Simon Kotlyar of Telzstone (Kiryat Yearim) Israel announce the July 25 birth of their daughter, Bat-Sheva Esther and is named for her late great-grandmother, Esther Simon She has four brothers, Yosef, Moshe, Aron, Avraham Shlomo.

Grandparents are Ken Morrow of New York City; Judi Morrow of West Orange, NJ, and Joan and Natan Simon Kotlyar of Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel. Great-grandparents are the late Esther and Stuart Simon.

Tziporah and Max Marcovitz of Jerusalem announce the Oct. 13 birth of their daughter.

She has a brother, Nachum, age 4 1/2 and a sister, Hadassah, age 2 1/2.

Grandparents are Mimi Rogers and Scott Farkas of Omaha. Great-grandparents are Jerry Farkas and Ronald and Elaine Marcovitz.

October 24, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 5

The pride and confusion of being Chosen

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life Rabbi Ari Dembitzer will present a two-session course titled The Chosen People as part of the Center for Jewish Life’s Friday Learning Series. Classes will be held on Nov. 7 and 21 from 11 a.m. – noon in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. The course is open to the community for a fee of $18, which is reduced to $15 for those who are active contributors to the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Rabbi Dembitzer was born in and lived a good part of his life in New York, and, most recently has been living in Israel. He is a well-known in Omaha as he has served as Beth Israel Synagogue’s High Holiday cantor for the past 12 years. Rabbi Ari, who fondly calls Omaha “Homeaha,” is currently the interim rabbi at Beth Israel.

Dembitzer relates that he has a “burning passion” about being Jewish and knows that there is more to being a Jew than what he carries in his genes. Along with the passion for Judaism is his passion for learning. “What is the point of being part of a nation if you don’t know what that ‘membership’ means?” he asked. “I want to share with others what I have learned through my education process.”

In discussing this course, Rabbi Dembitzer said, “The people of the nation of Israel are often referred to by Jews and others throughout the world as ‘The Chosen People’ (Am Nivchar - Deut. 7:6). The term is a source of both pride and confusion. The idea that we were chosen by Gd has been the subject of intense scorn and anti-Semitism throughout the years. In this class we will take a close look at what ‘The Chosen People’ means and what challenges come with that designation.”

Plan to come, join the conversation and explore what this “choseness” means today. The two sessions of The Pride and Confusion of Being Chosen will be held Nov. 7 and 21 from 11 a.m. to noon in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library.

To register, contact Mark Kirchhoff at 402.334.6463 or mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org. This class, part of the Friday Learning Series, is presented through the Center for Jewish Life whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.

Holiday spirit in the community Below: Friedel students welcomed many parents and other guests to their October 15 Simchat Torah celebration.

Community Shaliach Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan led them in some vigorous singing and dancing; parents and teachers unrolled the Torah scroll and gathered the students underneath the tallit for a blessing.

Organizations Above, from the top: Mushka and Miriam Katzman prepare the homemade artisan bread during the annual Soup in the Sukkah women’s dinner; Aryeh Epstein and his daughter Nina enjoy Sukkot at Beth Israel; Rabbi Yaakov Weiss helps Jacob and Max Gurock prepare their own pizza during the ‘Make your own Pizza’ event at Beth Israel.

B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Speaker to be announced for Wednesday, Oct. 29, noon, at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewish omaha.org.

Visit us at jewishomaha.org

6 | The Jewish Press | October 24, 2014

October 24, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 7

.

Scoops of Fun! Ben and Jerry’s Jerry Greenfield kicks-off 2015 Annual Campaign

by SHERRIE SAAG Communications, Jewish Federation of Omaha erry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Inc., humorously described the day Unilever PLC purchased both the Slim Fast brand and Ben & Jerry’s.

“You get the irony,” he said.

Greenfield addressed hundreds of attendees at the event, working the room and hugging everyone he met with his characteristic hippie vibe.

He made his way into the ice cream industry after being rejected by more than 20 medical schools, on two separate occasions; then continued to describe how he helped create the multi-million dollar ice cream brand, based in South Burlington, VT. He told Federation donors how he and his partner, Ben Cohen, split the cost of a $5 ice cream correspondence course on ice cream making and then used $8000 in savings to start the homemade ice cream business in a converted gas station.

“Our goal was a warm climate in a small college town, we were selling ice cream after all, but every location we looked at already had an ice cream shop. Vermont fit the bill in every way except the weather,” he said.

“The first winter was 20 degrees below zero and even with what I consider to be one of our greatest marketing gimmicks, we discounted an ice cream scoop one cent for every degree of weather change, we still didn’t sell any ice cream that first winter. Go figure.”

They survived, he said, by making their product with 50-year-old ice cream equipment and selling it to local restaurants. Ben & Jerry’s eventually distributed its products across the country.

Master of Ceremonies Brett Atlas explained, “Jerry has the quintessential Jewish tale to tell. A young man, wanting to be his own boss, decides that FOOD should be the focus of his new business. A familiar story, isn’t it? JEWS and FOOD!” Atlas informed the audience that Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream is his preferred Ben & Jerry’s flavor and Jay Noddle, Federation President, later shared his favorite; Phish Food.

Ben & Jerry’s is well known for its community and philanthropic interests. Greenfield explained its origins, “We soon grew tired of running a large corporation.

Our opinion was, a company’s sole purpose is to make money and this left us a little empty. Ben and I grew up in the 60s. Peace, love and taking care of others.”

He continued, “That is Ben and me. We didn’t want to be just another cog in the economic machine. We thought we’d just get out.”

A friend suggested a better alternative and the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation was created with the intent to donate 7.5 percent of pre-tax earnings. At the time, it was the highest percentage of any public-owned company.

“That’s the message we wanted to give to people and that’s our Campaign theme,” Norm Sheldon, Annual Campaign Chair, said after the program, “You’ve got to give back to the community because together... we are family.”

J

Co-chair Suzy Sheldon added a personal message, “We chose to raise our daughters, Wendy and Lisa here. They have chosen to raise their children here.

This is not by accident. This community has always put family first and always will. We are grateful for that, for all the support and institutions that allows us to raise our families in a stellar Jewish community.

“That’s what the Annual Campaign is all about and that’s why we are here. To share this message with our community.”

When it was pointed out that his corporate values were Jewish values, Greenfield’s humor was expressed once again. “We could have been Cohen & Greenfield!”

From the top: Richard Jacobson, Jay Noddle and Paul Epstein; Rick Fox and Jerry Greenfield; Jan Schneiderman with Zoe Riekes.

From the top: Debbie and Speedy Zweiback; Sandy and John Lehr with Amy Nachman; Jerry Greenfield with Interim CEO Alan Potash; Mike Platt and Joe Kirshenbaum.

Dana Kaufman, Teresa Ruback and Stacey Rockman.

From the top: Howard Gendelman, Bonnie Bloch and Jody Malashock; The BBYO teens enjoyed their own dinner; Jay Noddle and Carl Riekes.

From the top: Suzy and Norm Sheldon; Marcia Cohen and Barb Platt; Eve and Fred Simon with Jerry Greenfield.

From the top: Sandy and Amy Friedman; Jill and Mike Erman; Brett Atlas.

Top: Shira Abraham and Abby Kutler; Bottom: Betsy Baker with Jill Erman.

8 | The Jewish Press | October 24, 2014

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Islamophobia ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor I have never been a big fan of talk show host Bill Maher. I find him crude, too confrontational with his guests, and overly convinced of his own superiority. That doesn’t mean I necessarily disagree with his message; just the way in which it is delivered. Unless he talks about religion: then, I always bristle. I don’t take issue with his agnosticism, but I do cringe at how he uses it as an excuse to mock those who do believe. While the Christian church has most often been the recipient of his rhetoric, lately he has set his sights on Islam.

Things heated up two weeks ago when actor Ben Affleck visited the studio and the discussion–sort of–centered on whether Islam as a religion is intrinsically bad, or whether some Muslims are massively misguided while the majority are regular people who pose no threat.

I can’t say I agree or disagree with what anybody said; the discussion was too disorganized for that. Ever heard of letting someone finish a sentence? Sheesh.

Still, it made me think. We are all aware that generalizing is dangerous, and that a few rotten apples shouldn’t spoil it for everyone. Even if those rotten apples are more than a few, even if they are organized, well funded and extremely visible. Rationally, we know that in spite of 9/11, in spite of ISIS, in spite of Hamas and Hezbollah and Al Qaeda, not every single individual Muslim is out to destroy civilization. Then why is it so difficult to find anyone who’s willing to say anything nice about Islam? And while we’re at it, what do we really know about Islam?

“Islamophobia matters,” writes Shanaz Bunglawala, “and has mattered tremendously since 9/11 from whence Muslim

communities have been struggling to force a distinction between free expression and unbridled prejudice and misrepresentation of Islam and Muslims.” (The Muslim500.com) There is, indeed, unbridled prejudice, and it stems partly from that misrepresentation, and partly from a very real threat from very real Jihadists. The problem is, we really don’t know where to draw that line, and the media isn’t help-

ing. Any news station is going to spend more time talking about beheadings in a far away country before it uses precious airtime to educate its viewers about all the nuances of the religion. The public at large doesn’t really know what the differences are between Islam in Somalia, and Islam in Egypt, or Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Pakistan.

Here is what Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the United Nations recently: “Our hopes and the world's hopes for peace are in danger, because everywhere we look, militant Islam is on the march.

It's not militants. It's not Islam. It's militant Islam. And, typ-

ically, its first victims are other Muslims, but it spares no one.”

It’s a valid point. Until we know the difference and can identify the real threat, rather than treating 1.5 billion Muslims as if they were one homogenous hive, we won’t get anywhere.

Reza Aslan and Chris Stedman write: “We’re not alone in recognizing the power of relationships to overcome differences. Research shows that simply knowing someone from another religious or ethical group often leads to more positive views of that group. That’s why personal relationships are indispensable when it comes to changing how we talk about religion […]. When you know and admire a Muslim […], it no longer makes much sense to make sweeping generalizations about either group as made up of fanatics or bigots. The logic of blanket statements falls apart when you’re confronted with the diversity of lived religious and nonreligious experience.” (TheGuardian.com) When we allow the fanatical Jihadists to set the narrative, and we believe they represent all of Islam, aren’t we giving them exactly what they want? When we close our eyes to the fact that those Jihadists do not speak for every single Muslim individual, when we refuse to put forth the effort to really know who and what we are afraid of, don’t we become part of the problem?

Perhaps. I do know one thing: when Bill Maher compares Islam to “a F-ing Mafia,” and it goes viral, and people fall all over themselves to declare how “right” he is, we don’t gain anything. It is imperative we behave better than that. Yes, ISIS rules the headlines at the moment, and it’s difficult to look past that and find hope. But we owe it to our own humanity to try.

Yes, it is far from the Lower East Side and yes, it is equally as far from the California Coast. But if you haven’t noticed, Jews don’t really live in the Lower East Side anymore and no one in LA would consider the starch-filled diet of our Eastern European past.

Here in Omaha, we have both. We have kosher bagels and Hungarian bakers. And when we say someone lives far away, that means it will take them 15 minutes to get to Shabbat dinner instead of five.

And it is not only that we have elements reminiscent of the European shtetl you love that should bring you here. We’ve done some updating!!

In your romanticizing about the shtetl life, you write about the comraderie of the shtetl life because of our shared enemies. “The enemy would suddenly emerge... in a frenzy of violence and hatred, beheading men, women, and children in the streets, in their poorly barricaded homes, caves and attics. The murderers left only when they thought the last Jew was dead. Then, as if out of nowhere, a man, a woman, an adolescent appeared, haggard, all in mourning, orienting themselves among the ruins. They buried the dead, said Kaddish, and life again began flowing, binding the abandoned individual souls into a community.”

You have that beautiful way of finding the silver lining to those most tragic and destructive moments in Jewish history. You will find the same beauty here, in our shtetl in Nebraska, but they don’t stem from a shared enemy. As I said, we’ve made some necessary changes.

We don’t have a shared enemy anymore. No Czar to hate or Nazi to fear. But we certainly all rally around for the same team. And in this case, the natives are always happy to adopt

a new Husker fan. But some of that fear you write about also exists here in Omaha just as it did in the shtetl. We may not be worried that someone is going to burn down our village.

But we do worry all the time about whether our village will be there for the next generation.

By all measures, a Jewish community our size should not be able to sustain a Jewish Home, a Jewish Day School, a weekly Jewish paper, three synagogues and a thriving Jewish preschool. Add to this list countless Jewish organizations like the ADL, the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, NCJW and so on. We are appropriately worried and disproportionally strong because, like the shtetl you remember, we don’t believe abandonment is a Jewish value we can accept. Nor do we want anyone in our community to feel that being Jewish, as it was in your day, is some sort of second class.

Not only are our buildings spacious and state of the art, but the programs this community promotes ensure that everyone, rich or poor, young or old, are included. We aren’t perfect. We have our faults. But we do share that sense of solidarity that I know is not always found in the Jewish communities of large metropolitan areas.

You described that solidarity when you wrote that “A Jew from the shtetl thought of other Jews even after they left the shtetl, and even when the shtetl ceased to exist.” Nowhere is that more true than here. People say you can take the person out of New York, but you can’t take the New York out of the person. Well, in Omaha, you actually can’t take the person out of Omaha. Once you are here, even if you leave physically, you are always here.

I’ve sat at tables countless times as people spend an entire Continued on page 9

ha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’

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and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf.

Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the

A letter to Elie Wiesel

by RABBI JOSH BROWN Temple Israel Dear Mr. Wiesel, I’m writing to you to invite you back to Omaha. I know you visited here many years ago, but I’m not sure you grasped what is here in your brief visit. Perhaps we asked you to speak too much, rather than letting you hear our perspective on the world. I’m not sure you grasped what is here because, having read much of your work, had you truly realized what is here, I think you would have decided to stay.

Mr. Wiesel, you are the most passionate writer about the shtetl. And not just the shtetl in Romania where you grew up. You romanticize the concept of the shtetl.

We know that the shtetl was never a place of great wealth; and yet, you refer to the shtetl as the “small colorful Jewish KINGDOM so rich, [not in money, but] in memories.” And then you lament the destruction of the European shtetl. You share that you have been invaded by the emotions of pity and sadness that this place no longer exists.

Well, Mr. Wiesel, I am thrilled to tell you that the shtetl that you loved is alive and well. But from my experience, you aren’t going to find it in Boston where you teach or in New York where you live. As you know, the word shtetl means small town – and while we know that there were shtetls of 20k Jews and shtetls of just 120, there was never a shtetl that you could see from outer space.

No, Mr. Wiesel, if you truly want to revisit that sense of community that you remember fondly, if you truly want to find a place where Jews of every flavor put their community first and their politics second, you are going to have to move to Omaha.

(Founded in 1920) Andrew Ruback President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Jessie Wees Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Thierry Ndjike Bookkeeper

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October 24, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 9

A letter to Elie Wiesel

Letter TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, Chuck Hassebrook will be speaking at Temple Israel on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. This will be his fourth appearance with the Jewish Community. Here are reasons that Chuck Hassebrook is earning the votes of a wide range of Nebraskans whatever their affiliation.

Chuck Hassebrook was elected to the Board of Regents from his home community, the conservative farming town of Lyons, NE. Lyons is in one of the most Republican districts in the state, and Mr. Hassebrook was the only Democrat on the Board of Regents. Still, he served for three terms, 18 years, and the Regents twice elected him to lead them as Chair.

As Regent, Mr. Hassebrook governed our state universities, overseeing five campuses and a budget of approximately $2 billion. His efforts led to tuition assistance for students from modest income families and the creation of a Rural Futures Institute, aimed at revitalizing small communities.

Mr. Hassebrook’s career took him from VISTA volunteer to Executive Director of the Center for Rural Affairs. During his 26-year career with the Center, he helped 10,000 small businesses with crucial training, advice, and financing. The Center is now nationally recognized and respected. Mr. Hassebrook notes that he will not overlook small business which is now the strongest driver of new job creation.

Perhaps you are more interested in big business? The Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, owns many Nebraskan big businesses and is keenly interested in the economy here.

He has endorsed Chuck Hassebrook for Governor.

Why is a vote for Pete Ricketts a risky vote? He talks about education, but has never demonstrated skill or experience in

Hasidic in nature, you might say. There truly is no boundary to Jewish learning and Jewish life. We don’t believe in High Holiday tickets and we don’t check someone’s bank account at the door. Here, in our updated shtetl, we probably have more families who belong to more than one synagogue than not belong to one at all. We don’t always agree, which won’t surprise you, but we take the time to be together and do our best to accept each other for who we are. When you wrote about the power of Hasidism, you taught that “in the shtetl... the illiterate shepherd with a warm heart was as important as the learned man whose knowledge is rooted in books.”

Here in Omaha, the CEO and the charity case meet – not to exchange tzedakah – but to study a page of Torah. Because here, no matter how wealthy you are – and we have wealth – or how poor you are – and we have poverty – our Torah table is big enough for both.

So Mr. Wiesel, we know that Boston has the Celtics and New York has the Yankees. But having read much of your work, I doubt you are concerned with sports. Your concern, above all else, has always been for life and for us to live it to the greatest of our capacity. In the shtetl, you said, “people lived, well or badly, but people lived before dying.”

We have a new shtetl to show you. One whose walls are not deteriorating. One whose enemies are extinct. And one filled with life – with vibrant Jewish life – big enough for everyone to enjoy and small enough for everyone to be known. We hope you join us. Not for our sake, but for yours.

Editor’s note: Rabbi Josh Brown delivered the above sermon at Temple Israel during the Omaha Reunion weekend on September 12. education. He talks about growing Nebraska like a business, but his own business experience is unclear. He was appointed to a high position in TD Ameritrade by his father, and that was before a failed run for Senate. He hasn’t been there since 2006 -- which means his “career” there ended in his early 40s.

Worst of all, his rather extreme positions are a matter of easily accessible public record. Seven years ago, Pete Ricketts funded and founded the Platte Institute for Economic Research. He served as President right up to 2013. A watchdog report says that Pete’s institute is part of a network that promotes an extreme right wing agenda. “These organizations present themselves as nonpartisan, objective and scholarly. But instead of being actual, honest think tanks, all of these organizations are funded by... billionaire conservative and corporate funders.”

They “push an extreme right-wing agenda that aims to privatize education... restrict workers’ rights... and create a tax system that benefits most those at the very top level of income.” The institute is on record with recommendations that would relieve taxes for the super-rich while taxing dorm rooms, hospital beds, prescription drugs, and for farms -- seed, machinery and fertilizer. Mr. Ricketts is interested in protecting only the wealthiest Nebraskans, like himself and his billionaire family.

Do vote on Nov. 4. Whatever your party affiliation, vote for Chuck Hassebrook for Governor. He is the candidate with the track record of helping Nebraskans and the experience of management and leadership.

Debbie Denenberg Editor’s note: In the interest of balance, the Jewish Press will publish a submission about gubernatorial candidate Pete Ricketts in next week’s edition. Letters that promote a certain candidate are not written by the Jewish Press staff.

The Jewish Press does not seek to endorse any specific political candidate.

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Continued from page 8 conversation just remembering people. They talk about Old South Omaha – the businesses their grandfather owned and the way your grandfather owned the shop across the street.

And they talk about that family who moved here because they were enlisted at Ofutt Air Force base or brought here to work at the Nebraska Medical Center with the same sense of love. Every year we officiate at weddings and unfortunately at funerals of people who have left Omaha, sometimes decades earlier, but who always called it home. For tens of thousands of Jews, this is their home, whether their mailing address says Nebraska or not.

And finally, Mr. Wiesel, you write passionately about the greatest product to come from the shtetl world: Hasidism.

“It could not have been born anywhere else” you write. For it was in isolated villages that great rabbis like the Baal Shem Tov thrived. The Baal Shem Tov was known to walk children to school and talk with women in the marketplace.” He did not live in an ivory tower. And in your words, “In big cities, people were too busy and perhaps too lethargic to go and hear a wandering preacher, a teller of tales, who came not to reprimand but to reassure.” You are right. Hasidism, the great spiritual path of Judaism that was open to everyone, whether learned or uneducated, rich or poor, of Jewish aristocracy or a convert, could only work in the great small town of the shtetl.

So it is in Omaha. My colleagues in other cities rarely collaborate with their religious partners. Heck, sometimes, they don’t even have time to collaborate with the rabbi in the office next to them. But here, in our shtetl, we are more

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10 | The Jewish Press | October 24, 2014

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Phil Wolf on Jews in Spain.

For information on our historic synagogue, please contact any of our board members: Rick Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy and Phil Wolf.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

FRIDAY: Lunch at Nebraska AIDS Coalition, 11:30 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. followed by a Congregational Shabbat Dinner with Scholar-in-Residence, Naomi Levy.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Service, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; Mini Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush lunch with Scholar-in-Residence, Naomi Levy, following services; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:15 p.m.; Rosh Hodesh “Havdalah Salon” with Rabbi Naomi Levy, 8 p.m. at the home of Sally Zipursky.

WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.

SUNDAY: BESTT Classes, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:15 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m.; Sunday Scholars featuring Rabbi Naomi Levy, 11 a.m.; BESTT Kevah Family Program (Grades 1 & 2), 11 a.m.; BESTT Noach Blessing of the Animals, 11:45 a.m.

TUESDAY: Wrestling with Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High School, 6:45 p.m.; Israel Trip Information Night, 7 p.m.

Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Steven Wernick, Friday, Oct. 31-Sunday, Nov. 2. (see full story on page 1).

All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat, 6:12 p.m.; D’var Torah by Evie Denemark: Rain: Human Involvement in Creation.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 5:55 p.m.; Musical Havdalah, 7:12 p.m. (Please bring your instruments to Beth Israel before Shabbat).

SUNDAY: Talmud Brachot, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Medrash: Understanding Our Prayers, 9:45 a.m.; A Deeper Look at Talmud, 10:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Current Events with Jack Kozlen and Rabbi Ari, 7:45 a.m.

TUESDAY: Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY: Women’s Class: Deepening our connection with God, 9:30 a.m.; Med Center Chaburah, 1 p.m.; Scholar’s Club for grades 4-6, 3:30 p.m.

CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

Bat Mitzvah Isabella Eva Wright, daughter of Annette van de Kamp and Jeremy Wright, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Temple Israel.

Isabella is an eighth-grade honor roll HAL student at Millard North Middle School and a graduate of Friedel Jewish Academy.

Her interests include math, chorus, musical theater and reading.

For her mitzvah project, Isabella volunteers with the Southern Sudan Community Association.

She has a brother, Mendel.

Grandparents are Patty and Vince Wright, and Petra and Aalt van de Kamp.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office.

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak.

THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu.

All programs are open to the entire community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Services, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Jayne Draper and Julie Moore.

SATURDAY: Boker Bash - Breakfast and Family Shabbat Service, 9:30 a.m. with song leader Ariel Kohll; Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Noach; Jewish Movie Night, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite, 9:45 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel.; LJCS Teachers, 12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple; Cantillation Class, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY: Star City Kochavim Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.; Alexander Technique Class with Robert Rickover, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes, 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY: Jewish Travel Series Class, Nesia Tovah - Good Journey, 3 p.m. with Steve Ganz on his travel in Lithuania at the Ganz home, 4030 South 31st St. Please RSVP to the Temple office if you plan to attend.

THURSDAY: Beginning Hebrew, 6 p.m. The cost is $50 for course materials. Please contact Rabbi Lewis is you need scholarship assistance; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 7 p.m.

Please contact the Temple office to register.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road | Offutt AFB, NE 68123 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by Beth Israel.

SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m.

Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Brown and Tami Field.

SATURDAY: Tot Shabbat, 9 a.m. Please contact the Temple Israel office, 402-556-6536 or RSVP@templeisraelomaha.com, to let us know you are coming; Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.

Peyton Blake, daughter of Denise and Christopher will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah.

SUNDAY: Teachers Meeting, 9 a.m.; Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Beginning Prayer Study with Elyce Azriel, 11 a.m.; Temple TED Talk, 11 a.m.; Bless the Pets, 11:40 a.m.; OTYG Board Meeting with lunch, noon; OTYG Haunted Havdalah, 4:30-8:30 p.m. at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch. Cost is $15. Please RSVP to Nikki Flatowicz by Friday, Oct. 24.

TUESDAY: Executive Meeting, 6 p.m.; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.; Mah Jongg Mavens are Back!, 7 p.m. They invite anyone who is interested in coming for lessons and tips. Bring friends or make new friends (men welcome too!). $45 per person, includes a 2014 Mah Jongg card. Contact the Temple Israel office to RSVP, 402.556.6536.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; Family Night, 6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Torah from the Beginning: Why Torah? Who wrote it? What is my Torah?, 6:30 p.m. with Rabbi Josh Brown and Dan Gilbert.

THURSDAY: Music in Transition, 10 a.m. with Cantor

Candlelighting Friday, October 24, 6:12 p.m.

Shermet.

First Friday, Friday, Dec. 7 with Candle lighting and Kiddush in the Community Court, 5:30 p.m. and Service, 6 p.m., dinner immediately following. Cost: $5/person, max of $20 per family. Reservations required.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

FRIDAY: Bless the Animals Shabbat Potluck Dinner, 6 p.m. at the home of Karen and Seth Harris SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a special Kiddush luncheon in honor of Brenda Imgraham’s special birthday and will be sponsored by the family.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite, 9:45 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel.; LJCS Teachers, 12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple.

WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes, 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY: Jewish Travel Series Class, Nesia Tovah - Good Journey, 3 p.m. with Steve Ganz on his travel in Lithuania at the Ganz home, 4030 South 31st St. Please RSVP to the Temple office if you plan to attend.

Havdalah Havurah Group Meeting, Saturday, Nov. 1, 7 p.m. at the home of Lucy and Kirk Bowers. If you would like to volunteer to hold this event for future groups at your house please let Nancy Coren know. All supplies and snacks will be provided.

Stanford Lipsey honored

by Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo On Sept. 29, Omaha native Stanford Lipsey received the prestigious Nathan Benderson Community Service Award at the Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo's United Jewish Fund Campaign dinner.

He was the publisher of the Buffalo News for 32 years and president of of Sun Newspapers in Omaha from 1965 to 1980. The Nathan benderson Community Leadership Award is given to "the person or persons whose extraordinary service and commitment to the Buffalo Jewish community exemplifies the leadership of Nathan Stanford Lipsey Benderson."

Credit: buffalonews.com In the Buffalo community, Lipsey has spearheaded the renovation and preservation for the Darwin Martin House, for which he received a NYS Parks and Preservation Award in 1998.

Lipsey, in addition to being a publisher, is a very talented photographer. He published a book of photographs, and donated many of them to adorn the walls of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute for the patients' enjoyment. Other organizations which benefited from his generosity include The Albright Knox Art Gallery's Jazz series, Cradle Beach Camp, Kids Day and many more.

(Source: Buffalo Jewish Review)

To submit announcements: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154 (with photos we will scan and return).

Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, or by emailing: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

Readers can also submit other announcements -- births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements, complete form and click on “submit”. Deadlines are normally eight days prior to publication, on Thursdays, 9 a.m.

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

October 24, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 11

In memoriam BONNIE LEE LITTON Bonnie Lee Litton passed away on Oct. 18 at age 71 in Edina, MN. Services were held on Oct. 20 at Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park, MN and officated by Rabbi Alexander Davis.

She was preceded in death by parents, Myron & Helen Tarnoff; sister-in-law, Thelma Litton Berris Dockman; and nephew, Lee Berris.

She is survived by husband of 49 years, Stephen F. Litton; sons and daughters-in-law, Jeremy and Micki Litton and Jonathan Litton and Kimberly Reiss; grandchildren: Cameron, Joey, Maya and Lizzie; sister and brother-in-law, Barbara and Joel Rashbaum; brother and sister-in-law, Bernie and Linda Tarnoff; cousins, Sam and Jane Friedman; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Fern and Jimmy Badzin; nieces and nephews, Marc and Julie Berris, Brooke and Nate Fineman, Tracee and Josh Lee, David Lombardo, Anna Rashbaum, Jacob Rashbaum, Jennifer and Juan Torres; great-nephews, Tanner, Noah and Gabriel; and many other family members and friends.

She was a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she was active in Sigma Delta Tau, and met her husband.

She was active in National Council of Jewish Women, Women’s American ORT, a 15-year breast cancer survivor, and active with Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation. Bonnie was diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome over 35 years ago, and was an advocate for funding and cure of the disease, both in Minnesota and Washington, D.C. Her lymphoma, related to her Sjogren’s Syndrome, finally took its toll.

Special thanks to the compassionate, professional staff at Abbott Northwestern, her oncologist, Dr. Stuart Bloom, and N.C. Little Hospice.

Memorials may be made to Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation, 6707 Democracy Blvd, Suite 325, Bethesda, MD, 20817, Susan G. Komen Minnesota, Mall of America, 301 South Avenue, Bloomington, MN, 55425; or to the organization of your choice.

Last Chance: TypecastRecast Friday, Oct. 31 will be your final chance to see the complete inaugural exhibit of TypecastRecast. If you have not yet made the pilgrimage to north downtown to see the six-piece outdoor exhibit of Always Forgive/Never Forget, Broken Open, Risers, Two Drinking Fountains, Debbie Butler and Wall, you have just two weeks left.

North downtown Omaha has played host to TypecastRecast and its visitors since April of this year. To date, over one thousand students, educators and community members have participated in docent-led tours.

Twenty-five on-site workshops helped advance the messages of respect, mutual understanding and making Omaha no place for hate.

Each year the Anti-defamation League Plains States Region presents workshops like these throughout the city. TypecastRecast has provided a unique opportunity to put students and community members in a neutral setting allowing for greater exploration of personal biases and prejudices.

Education Associate Susan Wallis has been thrilled with the outcome of TypecastRecast, stating, “This project has brought attention to the ADL and our mission to combat hate and bigotry. With over one thousand student participants, we have been able to foster conversations about respect and inclusion; and TypecastRecast has been a catalyst for a community dialogue about how prejudice and discrimination in this community. This project has helped participants find their voice and put language around how we talk about issues of bias in our community.�

TypecastRecast is located at 12th and Cass streets in Omaha.

TypecastRecast is a project of the Anti-Defamation of the League Plains States Region. To learn more about the project, please visit www.typecastrecast.org. To donate to this or future ADL-PSR projects or educational workshops, please visit www.omaha.adl.org.

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Pope Paul VI, first pontiff to visit Israel, moves closer to sainthood

by JTA NEWS STAFF ROME (JTA) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope Paul VI, the first pontiff to visit Israel, has moved a step closer to sainthood. Pope Francis beatified Paul VI at a Vatican ceremony Sunday at the close of a synod of bishops.

Paul VI, who reigned from 1963 to 1978, opened the Roman Catholic Church to formal dialogue with the Jewish world.

He visited Jerusalem in 1964; It was the first time a reigning pope had visited the Holy Land, but at the time the Vatican did not recognize Israel as a state. Israel and the Holy See established full diplomatic relations in 1993

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12 | The Jewish Press | October 24, 2014

Rabbi’s coming-out highlights dramatic shift in Conservative Judaism

by ANTHONY WEISS LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- Rabbi Gil Steinlauf made headlines this month when he announced to his large Washington, D.C., synagogue that he is gay, and that he and his wife of 20 years would divorce. As surprised as his congregants at Adas Israel may have been by the news, it was Steinlauf, the congregation’s senior rabbi, who found himself stunned by the response to it.

“There’s been so much positive energy from the congregation, and I’m getting a constant flood of emails, calls, texts and Facebook expressing every positive sentiment you could imagine,” Steinlauf told JTA. In fact, Steinlauf and some of his congregants said the response within the congregation has been exclusively positive, including a supportive letter from the synagogue’s president, Arnie Podgorsky.

Posts on Steinlauf ’s Facebook page have come from as far as Israel and South Africa, and have included posts from Conservative movement officials.

“Overnight you have also become a role model to LGBT Jews everywhere, in particular within the Conservative Movement,” wrote Aimee Close, the transformation specialist for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the movement’s congregational arm. “On behalf of all of us, thank you for your courage and your leadership.”

Steinlauf ’s proclamation marked the culmination of a long, painful personal journey that included being bullied as a child, years denying his sexuality and a struggle to maintain a loving but ultimately unsustainable marriage. The reaction to his announcement is a culmination for the Conservative movement itself.

Fewer than eight years ago, Conservative doctrine stated that homosexual behavior was antithetical to Jewish law, that gays could not marry or serve as clergy and that a rabbi could be forced from the pulpit for coming out as gay. At Conservative congregations, gays and lesbians were welcome “as individual members.”

Then came the movement’s controversial December 2006 adoption of a responsum declaring that homosexuality was permissible under its interpretation of halachah, or traditional Jewish law. The ruling paved the way for the ordination of openly gay rabbis at American seminaries and for Conservative rabbis to officiate at same-sex weddings.

Rabbi Gil Steinlauf says the response to his coming out has been overwhelmingly positive.

Credit: Adas Israel These changes in the Conservative movement also opened the door for widespread and open acceptance of gays and lesbians within the movement. Coupled with a sea change in American attitudes toward vastly greater support for gay and lesbians, such shifts transformed Conservative Judaism from a realm in which homosexuality was ignored or denounced to one in which, for many younger Conservative Jews, being gay is utterly unremarkable.

Steinlauf, in fact, bridged the two generations, coming of age when awareness of gays and gay issues was changing, but acceptance had not yet come in the Conservative movement.

“When I was at the Jewish Theological Seminary -- I graduated in 1998 -- there were plenty of gay people there, but they were all closeted because it was not a safe environment to be gay,” Steinlauf recalled, noting that at the time he did not think of himself as gay.

Some movement leaders, too, were aware that there were closeted students in their ranks.

“What we were saying, as the deans of rabbinical schools, was that they had to lie about themselves,” said Rabbi Elliott Dorff, a former dean of the movement’s Ziegler School of Rabbinical Studies at what is now known as American Jewish University in Los Angeles, and now serves at the university as rector and a philosophy professor. “I thought that was just immoral.”

However, the conversation over gay inclusion was starting

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to shift, particularly at progressive congregations like Adas Israel. Members said that efforts to accommodate gay and lesbian members starting in the 1990s were quiet at first — aliyot for gay couples, changes to membership structure to accommodate gay families.

In 2003, members of the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Law and Standards asked that the issue be brought up again. In December 2006 a majority of the 25member committee voted in favor of two legal responsa -one stated that homosexuality was halachically acceptable and one said it was not, with each receiving 13 votes.

By the unique rules of the law committee, where any ruling that garners six or more votes is considered valid, it meant that the fight for full gay rights in the movement had ended in triumph.

Proof of the victory came quickly. Most of the members opposed to halachic acceptance of homosexuality resigned from the law committee. The Ziegler School promptly announced that gay applicants were welcome; the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York followed suit.

Steinlauf began to speak about his own experiences in the course of counseling synagogue members, telling gay and lesbian congregants about being called a “faggot” by his peers as a child. It was, he said, part of his journey toward acknowledging that he is gay.

In the meantime, voices of opposition have faded or shifted.

Rabbi Danny Nevins, who co-authored the 2006 gay rights opinion alongside Dorff and Rabbi Avraham Reisner, and who now leads the rabbinical school at JTS, said that while a few opponents retired from Conservative institutions like JTS, most reconciled themselves to the change and continued to support their students, including gay and newly out students.

But there do remain some within the Conservative movement who oppose the shift, arguing that it cannot be reconciled with halachah.

“Sadness and disappointment at the Movement’s inability to be guided by traditional Jewish morality has led me and others to feel that the Conservative Judaism we knew is no longer,” Rabbi Harlan Wechsler, rabbi emeritus at Congregation Or Zarua in Manhattan, wrote in an email to JTA. Editor’s note: this story was editied for length due to space constraint. The full story can be found at http://www.jewishomaha.org/jewish-press/

Publishing Date | 11.07.14 Space Reservation | 10.29.14 Camera Ready Deadline | 10.31.14 Contact our advertising representative to advertise in this very special edition.

Jessie Wees | 402.334.6559 | jwees@jewishomaha.org